Wreckage located at a depth of 800 meters – submarine found off Bali – 53 crew members killed

The wreck of the missing Indonesian naval submarine has been found since last Wednesday with the help of a diving robot at a depth of more than 800 meters. The military leadership of the Southeast Asian country said in their press conference on Sunday that the attack had split into three parts.

“We have recordings that we identified as part of KRI Nanggala 402,” said the country’s army chief, Air Marshal Hadi Tjiganto. Submarine parts such as anchors, safety suits and rudders have been discovered near the main wreck. All 53 people on board the ship died while on duty in the waters north of Bali.

Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Yudo Margono said an Indonesian survey ship had identified the submarine at a depth of about 800 meters. Then a submarine rescue ship from Singapore, which arrived only Sunday morning, found the wreckage with the help of a diving robot (ROV). “The ROV had an optical contact … at a depth of 838 meters where I found pieces of KRI Nanggala that split into three pieces,” said Margono. The admiral added that the accident was not due to human error.

The German-made 60-meter fishing submarine lost contact with the fleet during a torpedo exercise early Wednesday morning. She had sailed in Surabaya, Java, and was about 95 kilometers north of Bali at the time. On Thursday, the Navy announced that the crew will only have enough oxygen until early Saturday morning.

“This incident is a serious shock to all of us.”

The President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo

On Saturday, hopes of finding the sailors faded. The Navy has reported discovering items from the ship, including a bottle of lubricant for periscope and a torpedo hull. Since then, the naval command assumed that the submarine had been destroyed.

Even before the wreck was discovered, Indonesian President Joko Widodo sent messages of condolence to relatives of the 53 people on board, as announced in a video clip on Sunday. “This incident is a great shock to all of us. We deeply regret this tragedy, especially the families of the sailors. “

There was no initial information available on the possible cause of the accident and the exact location of the wreckage on Sunday. The Navy suspected that the submarine was 600 to 700 meters underwater. According to the manufacturer, the ship is only designed for a diving depth of between 250 and 500 meters.

International search assistance

An Australian warship and a US private aircraft also participated in the search. In addition, the Singapore Navy ‘MV Swift Rescue’ rescue vessel and ships from Malaysia and India are expected off the coast of Bali. The Australian frigate HMS Ballarat joined the search operation off Bali on Saturday.

The 1,395-ton diesel-electric fishing submarine was built by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft in Kiel at the end of the 1970s. A complete overhaul was completed in South Korea in 2012. It was one of five submarines in the Indonesian Navy.

SDA

Publication date: 04/25/2021, 1:23 pm

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